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Friday, May 5, 2017

The Color of Our Sky by Amita Trasi

Hi, everyone! Today I'm a stop on the TLC blog tour for Amita Trasi's debut, The Color of Our Sky.

In the late 80s, Tara's father, who made a habit of trying to help kids who needed it most, introduced Mukta into their home. Mukta, a daughter born into the Yellama cult, would have become a prostitute otherwise. Tara and Mukta spent the next five years together forging a friendship stronger than either had ever known. But in 1993, Mukta was kidnapped before Tara's very eyes. For years, Tara believed that Mukta had died in the aftermath, but when her father passed away she discovered that wasn't the case. Or at least there was no evidence of such. And so she began to search for her friend, returning to India to find out what happened to Mukta.

I'm not going to lie, The Color of our Sky is a difficult read. The topics covered are terrifying and terrible. But the story is a powerful one as well.

Mukta grows up raised by her mother and grandmother. Both of them were forced into prostitution at very young ages. The difference is that Mukta's grandmother believes in the life and Mukta's mother does not.

Tara grows up under very different circumstances: allowed to go to school, given all that she needs in life... But when the two girls are brought together, they become fast friends. They provide for one another in a way no friend ever has for Tara in particular (there weren't really any kids where Mukta grew up). And the loss of both her mother and her friend shake her as does the guilt she feels over Mukta's disappearance.

The story alternates between Tara and Mukta and the two timelines - Tara returning to India after having lived in Los Angeles for about a decade, intent on finally finding out what happened to Mukta, and both of their past storylines. The threads intertwine to give the reader a full story for both of the girls. And again, it's not a pretty one. But Amita Trasi's writing is compelling and pulls you into the girls' tales. And amongst the horror of Mukta's life in particular, there are bright spots.

Ultimately, this is a story about the power of friendship. But it's also an eye-opening read about some of the worst suffering going on in the world today. Trasi's characters are fictional, but the unfortunate truth is that the story is reality for some. Readers moved by the story (and it's impossible not to be) can find a link to help on the author's website.

To see more stops on the tour be sure to check out the official TLC tour page here.

For more on Amita Trasi and her work you can visit her website here. You can also like her on Facebook and follow her on Twitter.